Jesse Minter Confident in Mike Green’s Year Two Breakout With Ravens

Even though 2026 will be Jesse Minter’s first year on the job as the Baltimore Ravens head coach and defensive play-caller, he has already shown the ability to get the best out of one of their former highly drafted pass rushers.

After not recording a single sack and just five quarterback hits with the Ravens through the first five games of last season, 2021 first-round outside linebacker Odafe Oweh caught fire after being traded to the Los Angeles Chargers, where Minter was his defensive coordinator and consistently set him up for success.

Oweh recorded 10.5 sacks in the next 13 games through the first round of the playoffs, which included breaking a franchise record with three in the team’s Wildcard loss to the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots.

One of the reasons the Ravens felt comfortable moving on from Oweh in a contract year after he recorded a career-high 10 sacks in 2024 was the presence of rookie outside linebacker Mike Green, who Minter believes is poised to make a significant leap in his second season.

"I have a lot of confidence in Mike Green,” Minter said during a press conference at the annual league meetings. “I think your first year to your second year is often a big jump and just understanding the level that it takes, the preparation that it takes, and I am so excited about Mike."

Based on raw talent, athleticism and proven pass rush pedigree and production, Green was widely viewed as a first-round talent during last year’s pre-draft cycle but fell to the second round due to off-field concerns from his past.

The Ravens decided to finally stop the former Marshall University star’s freefall by taking him at No. 59 overall but Minter would’ve had more of a say in the Chargers war room last April, he might’ve never made it past No. 55 overall where Los Angeles general manager and former Ravens executive, Joe Hortiz, opted to select former Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris instead.

“I loved him coming out [of the draft],” Minter said. “I was joking with him, [the Chargers] had brought him in, I think for a 30 visit last year, and so it was meant to be now that we're together.”

Green was viewed as one of the steals of the 2025 NFL draft and spent most of last spring and summer garnering hype and praise to the point he was emerging as a trendy candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors even more than Ravens first-round safety Malaki Starks.

Injuries to Pro Bowl veteran Kyle Van Noy and Tavius Robinson in the first half of the season thrust Green into a larger-than-expected role as a rookie. He finished with the most defensive snaps on the team among all outside linebackers with 712, and his 3.5 sacks were the third-most on the team and tied for the fifth-most among all rookies.

While it took him a while to get going as a pass rusher in year one, with his first sack not coming until Week 8, having Minter and new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver overseeing his development only bodes well for his future and increases his odds of hitting the ground running in year two.

Most notable offseason addition will aid Green in making sophomore leap

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson pass rushes against Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Walker Little. — Sep 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) plays the field against Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Walker Little (72) in the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Ravens tied for the third-fewest sacks in the league last year, with just 30 as a team, and no player recorded more than five sacks, following a 2024 season in which two players reached double figures in that crucial stat. This prompted general manager Eric DeCosta and the rest of the front office to make upgrading their pass rush a top priority this offseason.

This led to the attempt to trade for five-time Pro Bowl edge defender Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders before the reported deal fell through over a failed physical, which caused them to quickly pivot to signing the top free agent pass rusher on the open market, four-time Pro Bowler and First Team All Pro selection Trey Hendrickson.

Earlier in the week, Minter told NFL Network's Steve Wyche that he believes Hendrickson will have a positive ripple effect on the rest of the defense, given the prolific sack production he is capable of, the extra attention he'll command from opposing offenses each week and the wealth of knowledge he has to impart to younger players like Green.

"I think now he'll have a guy in the room with Trey that he can really learn from, that he can learn some of the nuances of rushing the passer," Minter said. "Those guys will work well together. Oftentimes, when you have a guy on one side, it creates even more opportunities for the guy on the other side."

With Hendrickson rushing the passer and setting the edge against the run across from him, Green will have more chances to make plays and emerge as the disruptive force the Ravens envisioned when they drafted him. Given the amount of one-on-one situations he'll likely find himself in more often this year with a proven premier pass rusher to play alongside and learn from, Green is poised to be the biggest beneficiary of Hendrickson's arrival to Baltimore.

“Mike should be very excited, because I feel like he's going to have a lot of opportunities to impact the game, and we're excited about him,” Minter said.